Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy was developed by Dr. Albert Ellis in the 1950's. Educators are beginning to rethink how they address behaviour in schools. Slowly we are appreciating that if students are to learn how to better manage themselves emotionally and behaviourally more successfully then REBT has a lot to offer through RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOUR EDUCATION

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Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Contradictory Practices in Schools – Education or Punishment?

The purpose of his post is to compare and
contrast the contradictory philosophies, which underpin the practices and
processes used in schools to address student behaviour.

Traditionally we have had a one-size fits all
approach where student behaviour is managed and controlled by the adult characterized
by language like ‘warnings, steps, detention, suspension and exclusion.’ Using our authority to punish might get
students to comply and fear us but it doesn’t help them to gain insight into
why they respond as they do emotionally and behaviourally to daily challenges
in life. This approach contradicts constructivist theory on which all teachers’
work is based. Why do we base our teaching on constructivist theory for the
subjects we teach and then use a system of behaviour management that ignores
the developmental needs of the child? Why are we using two models for learning
at the same time in the same context, one inclusive an the other not?

Enter Rational Emotive Behaviour Education
(REBE) a system based on counselling theory and practice, Rational Emotive
Behaviour Therapy. REBE has been discussed in previous blog posts and it is
offered as a way of educating students about their individually constructed
philosophies which determine how they will respond behaviourally and
emotionally to daily situations, especially the challenging ones.

REBE teaches explicitly essential
resilience building competencies like Unconditional Self/Other and Life
Acceptance across the school curriculum and in every student – teacher
interaction. Based on constructivist theory REBE helps students to deconstruct
unhealthy habits of believing and to construct healthy habits of believing.

In my experience as educator one thing is
abundantly clear and that is students present with a diverse range of
dispositions, personalities, learning styles and the list go on. Despite this we have persisted and continue
to persist in applying a system of ‘behaviour management,’ which assumes all
children are the same and this has failed our young people significantly.

How so you may ask? A child with low
frustration tolerance for instance may struggle to stay on task especially when
it is a challenging one. She may
be prompted to get back on the job with a firm reminder and again stalls as her
frustration level rises. Is she displaying non-compliance? Is she lazy? Or has
she low frustration tolerance for tasks that require perseverance and continued
focus? We can give her person specific labels like ‘she’s lazy’ or ‘she’s naughty’,
which are inaccurate and harmful. Why? Because we are rating the students
personal worth, not their behaviour.

REBE will support the child understand how
her constructed beliefs gives rise to her extreme frustration. Does she think
that life should be easy and that it isn’t fair that she doesn’t get what she
wants? Is she a victim of learned helplessness where she believes she can’t do
‘tough stuff?’ Does she have low self worth, which stops her from taking risks
in her learning because ‘I’m dumb anyway?’ REBE is about helping students unpack these harmful beliefs
and to build new healthier ones. REBE
provides preventative mental health education systematically across all
curriculum areas.https://www.facebook.com/TheAlbertEllisProfessionalLearningCentre